Refrigerating apparatus



Dec. 17, Q E QUlNN 'REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1934 i m w ATTO R N EY6.

labels dry.

Patented Dec. 17, 1 935 UNITED- STATES REFRIGERATIN G APPARATUS Clara- E. Quinn, Mount Vernon, 111., assignor to Driice Appliances lncorporatei'Mount Vernon,

o 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerating apparatus of the type employing solfid refrigerants and more particularly solid carbon dioxides.

I One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved form of refrigerator employing a,so1id refrigerant as a primary refrigerant, a liquid circulating secondary refrigerant for cooling a body of freezable liquid, such as water, in which heat conducting containers'for perishable products are immersed, whereby these containers may be maintained imbeddedin water at any desired temperature or in water ice. A further object of this invention is to provide a refrigeratorin which bottles may be refrigerated without contact with moisture so as to maintain them in a clean condition withtheir A further object of this invention is the appliv cation of the principles above enumerated to apparatus for dispensing beer and other liquids from a tap.

These and many other objects as will appear from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the attached drawing are successfully secured by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement, relative location of parts, steps, and series of steps described below and set forth in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawing," f

Figure l'is a vertical, cross sectional view through one form of device in accordance with this invention showing some parts in elevation;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail, plan view of aportion of a number of the bottle containers; and V Figure 4 is a vertical, cross sectional view through a modified form of refrigerator in'accordance' with this invention, which is particularly adapted for the dispensation of beer=and other liquids. d

The true nature of the invention will be disclosed inconnection with'the various details 'of construction. The arrangement of Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, include an outer cabinet I having an inner wall 2 dividing it into two main compartments. The smaller compartment at'the'left is linedwith a suitableheat insulating material 3 to form a cavity in which a metallic container or tank 4 snugly fits. This container is formed with a central pocket and provides a closed chamber between the walls thereof in which the sec- 111-, a corporation of "Delaware 7 Application July 20, 1934, Serial No. 736,165,

ondary refrigerant may circulate around the solid refrigerant within the pocket. Solid refrigerant is preferably'solid carbon dioxide. Extend ing from the top of the container 4, to the top of the cabinet is a casing B of any suitable material, such as wood, which has internal dimensions to form a continuation of the pocket of the container. i represents aheat insulating cushion or blanket made of a fabric casing packed with hair, wool or other suitable heat insulating material, 8 represents the removable cover by means of which fresh solid refrigerant may be charged into the pocket. The other compartment of the cabinet is lined with a metal box 9 which covers the sides and bottom of the compartment but which is open at the top. This tank 9 is water-tight and contains a suitable liquid, such as water, up to the neighborhood.of the dot and dash lines shown in the figure. Supported in any suitable -manner and depending into the tank 9 are the small containers III which have been illustrated in the form of bottle containers of a size and shape to support, for example, bottles of beer or other beverage. With the water level at the dot and dash line it will be seen that these small containers in are almost completely immersed in the water. However, the water level is kept below the top edge of the container l0 so that no water can get directly thereinto.

At H is a long, shallow, metal fin, which is illustrated in cross section in Figure 2, which is connected by the delivery pipe l2 to the bottom of the container 4 and by the return pipe l3 to a higher point in the container. Thus the space between the'double walls of the container 4 and the space in the'fin ll interconnected by the pipes l2 and l3'provide a closed circulatory system for the secondary refrigerant, which may be? any suitable liquid which will not freeze at the temperatures encountered in the operation of the 40 device and whichwill freely circulate at those temperatures. Many liquids and mixtures of liquidsare known for this purpose.

' At l4 are represented slidable covers for the cabinets by means of which access to the small containers l0 may be had. At I5 is an expansion tank connected by a pipe to'the top of the space betweenthe walls of the container 4 to provide the necessary additional volume to be taken up by the secondary refrigerant as it expands in rising to normal temperatures when the device is not in operation. In the use of this device water is filled into the tank 9 to a point near th'e'top thereof and the goods to be refrigerated are placed individually into the small containers l0f55 The solid refrigerant is placed in the pocket of container 4 and by heat transfer abstracts heat from the secondary refrigerant and lowers its temperature. This cold refrigerant circulates through the shallow fin I0, abstracting heat from the water and returning through pipe |3 to the container 4 to be again cooled.

Thus by thermo-syphonic action the secondary refrigerant continuously circulates under the forces created by its different densities at its different temperatures encountered in the cycle. By controlling the relative size of the parts, the rate of heat transfer from the secondary to the primary refrigerant and the size of the fin I it is possible to maintain the water in which the containers I are immersed at any desired temperature and to even solidly freeze the body of water so that the containers l0 are substantially completely immersed in the ice. With this arrangement the bottles or other articles to be cooled in the containers III are cooled without being contacted with moisture, and hence, for example, in the case of bottles, may 'be withdrawn in a dry condition and with their labels unmarred.

A similar arrangement is shown in Figure 4 in which carbonated beverages, such as beer on tap,

may be cooled. In this instance the cabinet is shown at 20 as made of any suitable heat insulating material and being shaped so as to have the separate compartments 'A, B, C and D. The compartment A, which has the shelves-2|, may be reached through a door in the side of the cabinet. The compartment B, into which the barrel or keg of beer 45 is placed, may likewise be reached through a side door in the cabinet. The compartment C opens through the top of the cabinet and has a removable closure member 22. At the bottom of the compartment is a double walled container 23 upon which the solid refrigerant 24 may rest. Compartment D is lined with a watertight metallic container 25 in which, near the top thereof, is supported a hollow fin 26 in the form of a circle. This fin provides a closed compartment into which the secondary refrigerant may circulate from the container 23 through the pipe 21 and the control valve 29. The secondary refrigerant may return from the fin 26 to a warmer region of the container 23 through the pipe 28.

At 30 is the usual expansion tank connected to the top of the container 23. Within the tank 25 is a closed cylinder 3| of metal having an extension 34 near the bottom to which the pipe 35 having the control valve 36 therein is connected. This pipe 36 is led to a suitable dispensing tap or valve at the bar. At the top of the cylindrical tank 3| is a discharge outlet 38 controlled by means of a float valve 31 which is normally closed when the level of the beer within the tank 3| is normal. Any excess pressure within the tank 3| may be relieved through this valve and the discharge opening 38. Beer is delivered into the cylinder 3| by means of pipe 40 having a control valve 4| therein. A syphon tube 44 projects into the barrel of beer and is connected by pipe 42 through valve 43 with any suitable gas pressure source, such as carbon dioxide gas, in accordance with well known practice. A clean-out and drain connection for the cylinder 3| is provided, by means of the pipe 32 and the valve 33.

'In the operation of this arrangement, the tank 25 is filled with water or other suitable liquid up to near the top thereof and is maintained cold or in freezing condition by the circulation of the secondary refrigerant through the cylindrical fin 26. The body of cold water or ice around the cylindrical tank3 l acts to abstract heat from the body of beer therein, maintaining it in cold condition. The temperature of the water or ice surrounding the cylindrical tank may be controlled construction which may be embodied in other physical forms. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration but rather to the scope of the appended claim. I

- What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A refrigerating apparatus comprising a heat insulated cabinet, a metal container in said cabinet, a cover member for the container comprising a plurality of bottle receiving pockets, said container being adapted to hold a freezable liquid in which the pockets are immersed, a double walled receptacle for solid carbon dioxide within said cabinet and a long, relatively thin metal fin mounted in said container so as to be immersed in the liquid therein and connected to said receptacle to form a closed circulatory system therewith for containing a liquid secondary refrigerant whereby the liquid is chilled.

CLARA E. QUINN. I 

